Gabriel Fauré set one of his poems as Après un rêve, op. 7. The poem is based on an anonymous Tuscan text which speaks of how we too often long to return to the world of our sweet dreams. Another setting by Fauré of a poem by Bussine is Sérénade Toscane; the poem is a fairly free version of a slightly sardonic Tuscan serenade.

Bussine worked for many years as a voice teacher at the Paris Conservatory. A baritone, he occasionally gave recitals and performed in concerts in Paris; although he was not a prolific performer. He notably sang the role of the High Priest in the first hearing of the second act of Saint-Saëns's Samson and Delilah in a private performance in 1870. Among his notable pupils were composers Guillaume Couture and Achille Fortier.